1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to passwords, and in particular, to checking a password strength.
2. Related Art
Passwords are used to provide security to a user's sensitive information and to grant a user access to content. For example, a user may be required to enter a correct password to access certain information, such as financial information, and perform certain transactions, such as making a payment, Thus, secure passwords are important to prevent unauthorized use or access to a user's account or information. Typically, the more obscure the password or unrelated it is to the user, the harder it is for someone to correctly guess or determine the actual user password. In addition, systems or sites may require the user to periodically change the password for additional security. Thus, it is important for the user to select or change to a password that is strong, as opposed to weak, and not easily determined by others even with knowledge of the previous password.
However, users typically select or change passwords that are easy to remember. For the former, users may select a word, a phrase, a number, or a combination thereof that makes sense for the user, such as a name, a birthday, an address, or the like. For the latter, the user may slightly modify the previous password by adding a number or replacing a number with the next number. These passwords may be easy for fraudsters to obtain, such as by guessing or other more analytical methods. This may then allow an unauthorized user to access a user account, including make unauthorized payments or withdrawals, engage in identity theft, etc.
Thus, there is a need to ensure a proposed user password is strong.